Pacers are going to be tough, they blew out Detroit and have a solid core down there. They're probably the best "up and coming" team in the East.

+1. They've quietly gone about their business in snagging young controllable and high upside pieces. Paul George also looks like the real deal. This will be a very tough game for the Raps.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

DeRozan - hasn't proven that he can be a 20 scoring guy since preseason, possibly due to Casey's defensive style of player (let's hope he won't bolt

Calderon - he's a keeper, plays his hearts out, could definitely be a poor man's Steve Nash, keep him as a backup if we draft either Kendall Marshall or Kabongo next year or trade for Westbrook

Bargnani -keep him for at least a year or midseason before making a blockbuster trade

Barbosa - being himself, did a fantastic job

Amir Johnson - being himself, did a fantastic job, possibly use as a trade bait if we land one of Drummond or A.Davis

E.Davis - big improvement over last year, he should start for this team at the PF position instead of Amir and have Andrea play C

Bayless - he seems lost, possibly will be involve in a blockbuster trade in the midseason

J.Johnson - meh
Scrubs -

Conclusion: We desperately need a 3 (SF), there is no way, J.Johnson or R.Butler can play the 3 for long, as a backup or third stringer but we will have to wait for G.Forbes or L.Kleiza.

JJ meh? He was absolutely excellent in that game. He was a defensive powerhouse and didn't try to do too much offensively (and Karma rewarded with with that 3 at the end of the shot clock). He was this teams 2nd best player after Jose that game (and thats saying alot with the way Amir and Ed played)

i remember Atlanta Hawks the so called "athletic team" that blown the raps many times.........-sign-
I hope Indiana will do the same XD

We will be number 1!.....in the draft woot

I don't agree with this sentiment though of course I understand the reasoning. I like what I saw in the first game. Casey is going to do his best to compete though the roster has it's limitations. If the Raptors weren't keen to compete, I would see no reason to watch the Raptors this season or the next few for that matter. It's the competition that creates the interest. Being in the draft lottery year after year is no guarantee of success as there is lots of proof of this.

I don't agree with this sentiment though of course I understand the reasoning. I like what I saw in the first game. Casey is going to do his best to compete though the roster has it's limitations. If the Raptors weren't keen to compete, I would see no reason to watch the Raptors this season or the next few for that matter. It's the competition that creates the interest. Being in the draft lottery year after year is no guarantee of success as there is lots of proof of this.

Could not agree with you more. thank you for pointing out the fact that the raps should playt o win, not the lottery. Whoever the Nba feels bad for will win the lottery and that is not the Raps. lol

JJ meh? He was absolutely excellent in that game. He was a defensive powerhouse and didn't try to do too much offensively (and Karma rewarded with with that 3 at the end of the shot clock). He was this teams 2nd best player after Jose that game (and thats saying alot with the way Amir and Ed played)

One of the questions of the year is what JJ can do with his offensive lapses. If he can cut down the turnovers, he becomes a very useful piece. I like his hustle and style. Plus, he is very well spoken and carries himself well. Looks like a character guy with all the tools necessary. If he can get his head game aligned with his physical skills, he will be a keeper, at least as a role player.

He has mentioned a couple of times that "defensive stopper" is what is on his "role card." Casey has written up role cards for all the players, so they know where and how they fit into the team. When they step outside of their "role" then Casey will plant them back on the bench. Seems like a great idea. I haven't heard of other coaches doing this.

Players and coaches should never tank. They should always give 100% no matter what and try to win every single game. If they do not, then they should be fired/traded/waived as soon as possible.

It is the job of the front office and GM to tank - which they appear to have taken their job very seriously this year.

I don't necessarily agree that the front office/GM are tanking. A GM tanking would be trading Derozan for Steve Blake. Or Amir Johnson for Andray Blatche.

What the GM is avoiding is becoming mediocre. Don't go after talent that will not be part of the core in a couple of years. Stick with what you've got and develop them similar to what Chicago and OKC did. Once you have assessed your talent properly figure out who should be in your core moving forward and who should be dropped and swapped for better talent.

I like to see the Raptors playing hard. They may end up with a record that prevents them from getting someone like Anthony Davis, but in the long term they will be better off since we will know for sure who should be in our core moving forward and who should not. Plus Bryan can always make a trade to get another pick. He's pretty savvy in the trade department if you haven't noticed.

The average was about 4.6 so about 4th or 5th worse. I can see Toronto in that range even if they play hard. There is a better chance that they get the top pick even if they win some games.

Looking at those numbers it's interesting that the 4th worst team has never won the lottery. The 3rd worse team has won the lottery the most at 5 times, and the 5th worse has won it 4 times. It's pretty random, but I guess that's the point of the lottery isn't it?

I don't necessarily agree that the front office/GM are tanking. A GM tanking would be trading Derozan for Steve Blake. Or Amir Johnson for Andray Blatche.

But the front office/GM do not need to move key pieces from a 22-60 team to ensure the tank is on. Getting a top draft pick with no other pieces in place once he arrives is counterproductive. In the Raps case they have nice pieces, they just don't have enough talent at this time and players are being asked to contribute more than they would on a winning team. That will change with the addition of JV, 2012 pick, growth/development/maturation of current players, and current players taking a lesser role in the future due to the addition of new talent.

This may be over simplistic or splitting hairs but anytime the front office is not doing whatever they can to field the best team they can and win the most games possible that is tanking, regardless of circumstances, in my opinion. It would be like Ed Davis not giving it his all tonight against Tyler Hansbrough or David West because he may be matched up on Dirk in the next game.

Again, a little simplistic and probably not 100% accurate, but the front office did nothing to add to the win column this year with roster additions this year. In my opinion, that is tanking when the team won 22 games the season before.

What the GM is avoiding is becoming mediocre. Don't go after talent that will not be part of the core in a couple of years. Stick with what you've got and develop them similar to what Chicago and OKC did. Once you have assessed your talent properly figure out who should be in your core moving forward and who should be dropped and swapped for better talent.

Agree with everything here. That doesn't mean the Raptors front office is not tanking the 2011-12 season.

I like to see the Raptors playing hard. They may end up with a record that prevents them from getting someone like Anthony Davis, but in the long term they will be better off since we will know for sure who should be in our core moving forward and who should not. Plus Bryan can always make a trade to get another pick. He's pretty savvy in the trade department if you haven't noticed.

Agree with everything here. But, again, that doesn't mean the front office is not tanking the 2011-12 season.

JJ meh? He was absolutely excellent in that game. He was a defensive powerhouse and didn't try to do too much offensively (and Karma rewarded with with that 3 at the end of the shot clock). He was this teams 2nd best player after Jose that game (and thats saying alot with the way Amir and Ed played)

Agreed. I don't understand how JJ's performance on Monday can be considered "meh". He played a solid game.